I got this at the recommendation of an Asian beauty blogger when I visited Japan, but I didn't think to stock up as I thought I could always fall back on Biore and Biore is plentiful available where I'm at (South East Asia).

Oh boy, was I wrong. I've gone through most range and few bottles of Biore and this one really knocks Biore out of the park. I love it's skintone color that isn't peachy/yellow/beige/pink/white/purple unlike most other Asian sunscreens that always has a milky texture and a milky colour. It evens out my skin tone, evens out my prominent dark circles too.

To it's sun protecting ability, I'd also give it 5/5. It's a tad drying yet less drying than some other Biore and the sunscreen clings onto my skin in a humid weather throughout a total wear time of 9-10 hours amidst the city fumes. This definitely requires a sturdy oil cleanser to take off. If you don't have the habit of using an oil cleanser or OCM, this may be a con for you.

A few possible cons I could think of is its price point and alcohol content. The price that I"m seeing online is three times the price I bought at the drugstore in Japan if I am to repurchase (I probably will). About the alcohol content, well I know what I'm getting into, you can't love the beach yet complain there's too much sand.

I bought this on a trip to Japan based on a recommendation in Allure. I was using a US-made Lancome product before that I liked a great deal because it was totally invisible under foundation. This product is heavier and is visible in spots where I have fine lines. It feels a bit sticky on my face. It is moisturizing so it may work well in cold weather but I am concerned about how it will look in a NYC summer. I expect I will use it up but I am not going to go out of my way to buy another bottle..

Background Information:In the spring of 2011, Shiseido's Japanese counter released a newly reformulated line of sunscreen. Shiseido's Anessa is the most prominent brand for sunscreen in Asia, where I grew up (Taiwan). It's so well known, that if you were to walk on the street, grab any random person and ask them which brand makes great sunscreen, many of them would answer, "Anessa." I don't know if there are old Anessa sunscreens with the same name and SPF, but this review is for the 2011 reformulation.It has an SPF of 46, which would block out at least 97% of the UVB rays. It also has PA of +++, which means it has a PPD of 8+, which in turn means that it should allow a person 8+ times as much UVA exposure as would be without protection. The Japanese system for UVA rating only goes up to PA +++, so it's impossible for consumers to tell what the actually PPD is, other than that it's above 8.Please check under the "ingredients" tab above to find the active and total ingredients that I've typed up....My Thoughts:Before I begin I must warn you that I did not buy the full sized product. When I bought my two bottles of Anessa Perfect UV Sunscreen AA, I received a GWP bag of travel 12mL sized Anessa Perfect UV Sunscreen AA, Anessa Mild Face Sunscreen SPF 46 PA +++, and the sunscreen cleansing oil. Along with that, I also received a nice stack of samples from Anessa every time I walk out shopping (I guess "I love hauling" is written all over my face -_- ). Since the full size is 35mL, I'd say that in total, I have around half a bottle of the stuff :)Texture wise, this sunscreen is a little thicker than the Perfect UV, but still thinner than the Whitening UV protector by a smidgen. I'd say it's still pretty similar to the texture of Shiseido Ultra Smooth Lotion, but with a less greasy finish. The finish is considered more moisturizing than the other Anessa sunscreens except for the Whitening one, which I think is the most moisturizing of the bunch. I also use this on my cheeks only here in the hot and humid Taiwanese summer, with Biore UV Perfect (white) on my T-zone as it is my HG oil controlling sunscreen.The color of the suncreen is also not your typical white, but a skintone color. The pigments in this sunscreen claims to help even skintone. This sunscreen can also be used as a primer before makeup application. The Mild Face Sunscreen is water, sweat, and sebum resistant. Unlike the other sunscreen in this line, the instructions clearly states that it must be removed with a makeup remover (the others boasts that water and soap is enough). The instructions "say" that this is because of it's great waterproof qualities, but then Perfect UV can be removed with soap and water too. I personally think it's because it has the skinton pigments in it, making it very much like a makeup item that cannot be removed with soap and water. They say that this sunscreen contains skincare ingredients as well, and can be used on babies that are more than 6 months old. I've used this on my skin on days when it's irritated (I'm sensitive to benzoyl peroxoide in large quantities, and sometimes over use) with success. Many people havce found zinc oxide, one of it's active ingredients, to be soothing, as well as mild (since that's a physical block, although polysilicone-15 is not). Although it did not calm my irritation by too much (Diorsnow with 19% ZO did a good job with that) it did not irritate my skin further, which is perfectly good with me.Price wise, this is roughly $41.50 (converted from Taiwanese pricing) including tax, as opposed to the $36.30 for the other sunscreen in the Anessa line. Per unit cost wise, it is pretty much double the price (1.95x, to be exact) of the other sunscreens....I'd say that in itself, it is definitely a good sunscreen that deserves it's place among the very well done sunscreen line Anessa put out this year. However, for the price, I wouldn't rush to buy it. For one thing, if I wanted a moisturizing sunscreen, I'd buy the Anessa Perfect Essence Sunscreen for it's awesome more watery-jelly type texture for half the price per mL. If I were super sensitive, I'd shell out a few extra bucks and buy the Diorsnow one, since it has a high % of zinc oxide (19%). That is, unless I hate the fragrance of Diorsnow (just so you know, I love it), then I'd guess this is a good choice since I don't think it is fragranced. ...Bottom line:A good sunscreen in it's own right, but for the money there are better out there.